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Remember when you were a kid and you came home from school and had a snack before you did your homework. My personal favorite was Oreo cookies and milk. I always had four of them. No more, no less. I would dunk the cookie in the milk halfway. No more, no less. I'd take a bite of the soggy part of the cookie only. No more, no less. Then I'd dunk the other half up to my fingertips and as soon as it was ready to fall away I'd pop that half into my mouth and follow it with a big swallow of milk. Now that I'm all grown up I still have an afternoon snack, only it's a bit more sophisticated and usually loaded with caffeine. For example, yesterday I had half of a Back Door Bakeshop Mexi Hot Cocoa cookie, with my own deliciously concocted beverage a Mexi Hot Mocha - dark roast coffee, a tablespoon of hot cocoa mix, two shakes each of ancho chile powder, cayenne powder, and cinnamon, then topped with whipped cream. (I usually do this in private, because occasional moans and groans have been known to leave my lips.)

Today, I finished the other half of the cookie with the same sassy beverage, only I skipped the whipped cream. Gotta cut calories somewhere, right?

Being part of a vibrant community is what makes us so gosh-darn happy. We just love strolling down Main Street on a Sunday afternoon, volunteering at Godfrey Daniels on a Friday night, or enjoying tunes in the Sun Inn courtyard on a Thursday night in summer. And Back Door bakeshop supports the good work of the organizations that make our community vibrant.

Here's a preliminary list of upcoming events which Back Door Bakeshop will be a part of. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for more details as they're confirmed.

It's almost October and that means the fall festival season is upon us once again! We're looking forward to the excitement of the outdoor markets in our town. Oct. 1 is the Moravian Academy Fall Festival, and Oct. 8 is the Downtown Bethlehem Harvest Festival. This is our second year at both festivals and we just can't say enough about how much we enjoy them. We'll have lots of pumpkin this and apple that, dog biscuits, and of course some new cookies and brownies.

We just love to be outside. At a festival, a farmers' market, or just about any reason at all - as long as it's warm and sunny, we're smiling. This weekend is the kickoff of the 2011 Downtown Bethlehem Artwalk. Now in its fourth season, the Artwalk "is a great opportunity for artists and musicians to showcase their talents to visitors to Bethlehem’s Main and Broad Streets" - according to the Downtown Bethlehem association website.

Luckily for us, Bucky and John at the Historic Sun Inn love our cookies and brownies, and so they've asked us to set up shop on Main Street in front of the Inn.

Once again, it's time for the Bethlehem Farmers' Market. We've been part of this for a few years now, and the market just gets better each year.

Our products have expanded, and we're sampling new stuff all the time. We know that once you taste, you'll be hooked. Even your pets have fallen in cookie love. Last spring we introduced Dog Biscuits - both cheesy and peanut butter - and well, we couldn't keep up with sales. Later in the summer we brought you Granola. That was a huge hit. Since then we've been making fresh batches every week.

Once summer rolled in you went wild for our fresh Blueberry Preserves and Blueberry Coffee Bread. Peach season came around and we wowed you with Peach Crumb Coffee Cake and Peach Jam. That was followed by apple season and that can only mean the most delicious Apple Streusel Pie on the planet (IMHO). And then it was fall. Pumpkin, oh great pumpkin. Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Roll.

Well, guess what? The market starts this week!

What are you craving? Tell us.

See you every Thursday, 11-3pm - Lehigh University Campus Square, Bethlehem, Pa

We're about to begin our second season of Brownie Tastings. Gail likes to experiment with different varieties and truthfully, I just can't eat one more morsel of chocolate. That's where you come in. We need tasters - lovers of chocolate who don't mind testing the recipes. So we're throwing a little party or two. The first one is Sunday, Mar. 27, 2-4 p.m. at Terra Cafe in Bethlehem. There will be live music by yours truly and my pal Beth Sherby.

As for the brownies, I don't know what Gail has going in the oven yet, but I have been instructed to get some Bethlehem Brew Works Insidious Imperial Stout. Superb idea!

About Terra Cafe: We've been supplying the Easton cafe with carrot cake, cookies, banana bread, lemon squares and the like, for over a year now. The Bethlehem cafe is at 326 S. New St. (formerly Wildflower Cafe) and serves sandwiches wraps and salads, fresh fruit smoothies, fair trade coffee, and tea.

So, we encourage you to have lunch, enjoy the music and sample those brownies. Bring a friend, or two.

Everyone knows cookies are full of unhealthy stuff. That's why we love 'em, right. But wouldn't it be great if you could have a snack that was a little sweet, a little salty, soft but kinda chunky, and loaded with goodness? That's the Mother Earth cookie. Each cookie is a single serving of healthy grains, nuts and dried fruit. All-natural ingredients make this a great snack choice for health-conscious families.

Announcing the Aardvark Baar. The Back Door Bakeshop granola bar, packaged for Aardvark Sports Shop is available at both the Downtown Bethlehem and Stroudsburg locations. Visit www.aardvarksportsshop.com for store information.

Many of you have asked us if we make sheet cakes. To be honest, it's not our specialty. We're much better at creating small, simple cakes for intimate events. Here's a photo of one we made for a wedding this past summer. It's a lemon cake with butter cream frosting. All of the flowers are fresh, and edible.

Suddenly, there's a whole lot of buzz about our Granola. First introduced this summer at the Bethlehem Farmer's Market, this stuff has people calling every few days to order it. We're making weekly batches and it's for sale at the bakeshop. Call ahead or email to make sure it isn't all gone! Back Door Bakeshop Granola contains perfect amounts of cashews, coconut, raisins, almonds, sunflower seeds, rolled oats, honey, dark brown sugar, vegetable oil and salt. That's it. All-natural and fresh-baked.